Cannexus08 Keynote Speakers

NICOLE BEAUDOIN

What a Career Story!

From Secretary to CEO to Successful Entrepreneur

Nicole Beaudoin, committed business woman, mother and grandmother will share her insights on women in business and entrepreneurship and the art of balancing home and work. Recognized as a seasoned and expert manager in women’s entrepreneurship who has made significant contributions to advancing the status of women in Quebec, Canada and internationally, Nicole will talk about her own career path from secretary to CEO to successful entrepreneur and the importance of networking, life long learning and work/life balance. She will also discuss the fact that entrepreneurship is an increasingly viable career option for women as witnessed by the fact that one in three Canadian businesses is owned by women.

Nicole Beaudoin is the CEO of the Québec Business Women’s Network, Inc. and of the Women Entrepreneurial Center of Québec, active in Québec’s community, social and cultural spheres, a visionary who has invested considerably in advancing the status of women in Québec, in Canada and internationally and has consistently supported women in their quest for success, whether professional or personal.

JOHN KIM BELL

Career Awareness Within a Changing Aboriginal Youth Demographic

John Kim Bell will discuss the growing challenges of Aboriginal youth. Aboriginal youth are the fastest growing demographic in Canada with half of the youth population under the age of 20. The Aboriginal population overall is growing at more than seven times the rate relative to the non-aboriginal population.

The need to improve the outcomes for Aboriginal youth has never been greater and the need to address issues such as career counseling, and mentoring for Aboriginal people is vital if this generation of youth are to participate in all areas of Canadian life.

The federal government has failed First Nations youth through the travesty and legacy of the residential school program that has recently concluded with a class action lawsuit brought against the federal government. The settlement of $1.9 billion does not address the generations of dysfunction that has resulted from the legacy of the operation of residential schools nor does it address or provide new approaches in education that will achieve greater outcomes for Aboriginal students.

The First Nations educational system requires reform and the mainstream educational system must be more sensitive to and aware of the unique cultural attributes of Aboriginal youth, while at the same time aim for outcomes where Aboriginal youth can participate and integrate into Canadian society.

John Kim Bell has been making music and history ever since he was a child. Born on the Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve in Quebec, he began studying music when he was eight and was the first Aboriginal person to ever conduct a symphony orchestra.

Impassioned by the deplorable living conditions in reserves across Canada, Mr. Bell established charitable initiatives to support Aboriginal youth and to celebrate career achievement in the Aboriginal community: the Canadian Native Arts Foundation, the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, and the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation which has awarded more than $20 million in scholarships to students and operates Blueprint For The Future, a national series of career fairs promoting career awareness for Aboriginal youth.

NORMAN AMUNDSON, PhD

Career Decision Making for Aboriginal Youth: The Need for a Backswing

Dr Norman Amundson is an award winning author and researcher. His area of interest is in Counselling Psychology with a focus on Career Development, Counselling Methods, Unemployment, and Changes in Working Life. In the presentation, Norm will address the important issues of self esteem, support and vision. Career decision making is only effective when people feel good about themselves, have some support and encouragement, and also have a vision for the future.

Dr Norman Amundson is a Full Professor in Counselling Psychology/Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, and is an internationally sought after award winning speaker and author. In his writing, Dr. Amundson emphasizes the importance of creativity, imagination, cultural awareness, and action as career counseling strategies. His publications include: Active Engagement (Winner of the Best Book Award by the Canadian Counselling Association); The Essential Elements of Career Counseling; The Physics of Living; and several career workbooks.

RUBEN NELSON

Surprises Ahead! Exploring the World of Work of the 21st Century

There is a broad consensus about Canada’s situation in the 21st Century and what it implies for the world of work. The litany runs something like this: Canada faces an increasingly tough and competitive world; unless we work smarter – using more knowledge and technology, we will not be able to compete with the emerging giants – China, India, et al. In sum, the 21st Century is essentially an engineering and business challenge. Therefore, if young people are to continue to enjoy a high standard of living, we need to convince them to become business-oriented scientists, engineers and technologists.

Virtually all our eggs are in this basket. With today’s investments we are betting the lives of our children and grandchildren on what we think we know about Canada’s future.

What if we are wrong? What if our children face a new future – one that “adult society” does not yet see, let alone understand? If this is possible, are we unintentionally preparing our young people for failure?

Ruben Nelson, Canada’s most widely-experienced futures researcher, will explore these questions. He will offer a fresh understanding of the deep work of the 21st Century and what it entails for the preparation of young people for the world of work. Ruben will draw on his own research and what he as heard at the conference, including the Youth Town Forum.

Ruben Nelson is much sought-after as a keynote speaker, strategic meeting facilitator, workshop leader, and media commentator. He is one of Canada’s few professional futurists and a pioneer of serious futures research. He is the founding President of The Alliance for Capitalizing on Change – a Canadian body explicitly designed to make it easier for us to explore and understand change in order to influence the shape of our future.